Umerov: Crimean Tatars must be recognized indigenous people

Today, Kyiv hosts a roundtable on "Prohibition of the Mejlis in Crimea - the neglect of indigenous peoples' rights to self-determination and violation of the international law by the occupying authorities."

KYIV (QHA) -

Ilmi Umerov, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, has arrived in Kyiv from Crimea. He told how today the Mejlis members continue their work in occupied peninsula.

- Today, the Mejlis members go through hard times in Crimea. We hold meetings at each other’s homes, we have to talk on Skype, and we have no equipment. Moreover, we can face a new wave of repressions aimed to make Crimean Tatars more loyal to the occupying authorities. All this repressions have one target: to benumb the population and hold it in a total awe. However, the entire Crimean Tatar people don’t recognize the occupier. If Ukraine passes a law on the recognition of the Crimean Tatars as an indigenous people, it will be a step towards de-occupation, said Ilmi Umerov.